Mungueconi’s Journey Towards Improved Mobility and Communication
For four-year-old Mungueconi of Aripezo Village, Onzoro Parish, Katrini Sub-county in Terego District, walking confidently and speaking a few words are important milestones in a journey marked by health and developmental challenges.
Mungueconi, the son of 32-year-old Odaru Fatuma and 35-year-old Adrole Gilbert, was diagnosed with epilepsy and developmental delays that affected his movement, communication, and overall development. Before receiving medical support, he experienced frequent convulsions, approximately twice a week, raising concerns about his health and development.
For his parents, finding appropriate care and support was essential to helping their son overcome some of the challenges affecting his daily life.
For children like Mungueconi, timely access to medical care, rehabilitation and developmental support can make a significant difference in their ability to communicate, move and participate in everyday activities.
In Uganda, children with disabilities continue to face significant barriers to early learning. According to the World Bank – Special Needs Education in Uganda Factsheet (2020), children with disabilities accounted for just 1.6% of pre-primary school enrolment in Uganda in 2017, highlighting their limited representation in early education. This underscores the importance of early identification, timely medical intervention, and rehabilitation support in helping children like Mungueconi develop the skills they need to learn and participate.
Recognising these needs, LABE, with support from Liliane Fonds, is implementing the Building Effective Networks (BEN) – Inclusive Learning for Children with Disabilities (ILCwDs) Project in Katrini Sub-county, Terego District. Through community-based identification, referrals, rehabilitation services, and caregiver support, the project helps children with disabilities access essential services and opportunities for improved development and inclusion.
Through the project, Mungueconi was identified and profiled, enabling LABE to better understand his needs and connect him to appropriate medical and rehabilitation services. LABE facilitated his assessment, referrals, and medical reviews, including access to therapy, while maintaining regular home visits to monitor his progress and support his family.
to support his development through care and encouragement at home.
In 2025, Mungueconi began receiving medication to manage his convulsions and was referred for speech therapy to address his communication difficulties. Since then, he has continued attending therapy sessions, with his family reporting encouraging improvements in his development.
Today, Mungueconi can walk confidently and say a few words, milestones that represent meaningful progress in his mobility and communication. Although his development remains gradual and he continues to require support, these achievements have brought renewed hope to his parents.
Beyond facilitating access to medical and rehabilitation services, LABE’s continued follow-up has helped Mungueconi’s family better understand his needs and how to support his development at home. His parents also encourage him to interact and play freely with his siblings and friends, providing opportunities to practise his communication and movement skills in a familiar and supportive environment.
For Mungueconi and his family, each new word and confident step represents progress towards greater independence and participation in everyday activities.
His journey demonstrates the value of early identification, appropriate referrals, medical follow-up, therapy and family-centred support in addressing the needs of children with disabilities and developmental challenges.
Through the BEN Project, LABE continues to connect children like Mungueconi to essential services while strengthening the capacity of families and communities to support their development, inclusion and well-being.
